Reports have been trickling in from the Telluride Film Festival about Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama Black Swan, and word on the street is that the film is good, very good. Star Natalie Portman is receiving early Oscar buzz for her portrayal of a Ballerina with a very unhealthy obsession.

This is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the late fall film season.  If the movie is as good as early buzz indicates, Portman will certainly be a hot commodity.

Now, Deadline is reporting that Portman has been offered the lead role in the 3D adventure Gravity, after Angelina Jolie reportedly declined the role.

Gravity began its development journey at Universal, but is now being backed by Warner Brothers, who have extended the offer to Portman. When Jolie declined the role, many feared the project was dead.  With a budget of around $80M, Warner Brothers needed to find someone who could carry the movie.  Portman may be the perfect choice.

Her most well-known roles to date are in the movies V for Vendetta,  Star Wars Episodes II and III, Beautiful Girls, Cold Mountain, and The Professional, which was her stunning acting debut.  She has also amassed several indie films on her resume, including Closer and Garden State.

Gravity will be directed by Alfonso Cuarón, notable for Children of Men, Y tu mamá también, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Robert Downey Jr. will co-star, though the female role will be of primary importance in the movie, as it tells the story of a lone survivor of a space mission and her fight to get back to earth and her daughter.

Black Swan is scheduled for a US release on December 1st.

Brendan Fraser will not be returning to the Journey to the Center of the Earth franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.   Fraser dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, so the torch will now be passed to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for the next installment of the adventure series, entitled Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

Johnson will not reprise Fraser’s role in the sequel.  He will play the boyfriend of the mother of aspiring adventurer Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson.)

Family friendly Journey to the Center of the Earth was one of the first films to capitalize on the 3D craze, and earned over $100M domestically, and $250 worldwide.

The sequel will be based on Jules Verne’s  The Mysterious Island.  Johnson will join Anderson’s character on a quest to find his missing grandfather on a mysterious island. The film will be shot and released in 3D. Filming is to begin in late October

Johnson has established himself as a bankable anchor for recent family dramas The Tooth Fairy ($58M) and Race to Witch Mountain ($67M.) He also appeared in The Mummy Returns opposite Brendan Fraser.

Next up for Johnson is the action thriller Faster, coming out around Thanksgiving.

After a parade of Hollywood A-list actresses openly campaigned for the highly sought after role of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo book series, a relative unknown ended up being cast. Sony is reporting that actress Rooney Mara has been chosen to portray the prickly, troubled character.

Rooney Mara has worked with director David Fincher before, on the upcoming fall release The Social Network. She appeared in Youth in Revolt and played Nancy in the recent remake of  Nightmare on Elm Street.

Acting runs in the family, sister Kate Mara has appeared in Brokeback Mountain, 24, Entourage, and Iron Man 2. This is a role with huge potential.  The movie will most certainly lead to sequels, as there are three books in the  wildly popular “Girl” series written by Stieg Larsson.  To date, the trilogy of books has sold over 40 Million copies worldwide.

The (anti) herione of the series is a deeply troubled, but brilliant, computer hacker boasting a plethora of tattoos, shorn locks and a seriously hard edge. Mara looks a little too soft and lovely for the role, but I am sure they can toughen her up a bit.

Fincher must be convinced, because everyone has auditioned for the role, including Scarlett Johansson, Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page, and Natalie Portman. This has been referred to as the biggest casting quest since the search for Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind. Mara will play opposite Daniel Craig in the film which expects to shoot later this year for a 2011 release.